Course Syllabus

MGMT 356 INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY

4 Credit Hours Course Dates: 24th March to 1st June, 2014 Mode of Delivery: Online

INSTRUCTOR: Omid E. Furutan, Ph.D. OFFICE: CBPM Building #129 OFFICE HOURS: BY APPOINTMENT E-mail : [email protected]

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS

Richard L. Daft (2013). Organization Theory & Design (11th ed). South-Western. ISBN-13: 978-1111221294

Access to a personal computer is required. All written assignments must be word processed

MGMT 356 INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY

An organization, by its most basic definition, is an assembly of people working together to achieve common objectives through a division of labor. An organization provides a means of using individual strengths within a group to achieve more than can be accomplished by the aggregate efforts of group members working individually. Organizational theory is the sociological study of formal social organizations, such as businesses and bureaucracies, and their interrelationship with the environment in which they operate. It complements the studies of organizational behavior and human resource studies.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is intended to examine major perspectives in organization theory and its impact on organizations and management. This introductory course to organization theory will provide the opportunity to introduce and discuss all the major works in organizational theory and practical applications to organizations. It sets the fundamental knowledge base for students. Further, it explores how organizations function, develop, and modify themselves to reflect the needs of the external as well as the internal environments.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon the successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Understand and Learn about Organizations and Organizational Effectiveness. 2. Learn and Gain knowledge about Organization’s Stakeholders, Managers, and Ethics. 3. Learn about Managing in a Changing Global Environment. 4. Learn the Basic Challenges of Organizational Design. 5. Learn how to Design Organizational Structure: Authority and Control. 6. Learn how to Design Organizational Structure: Specialization and Coordination. 7. Understand and Learn about the Concept of Creating and Managing Organizational Culture. 8. Understand and Learn about the Organizational Design and Strategy in a Changing Global Environment. 9. Understand the Concept of Organizational Design, Competences, and Technology. 10. Understand and Learn about the Types and Forms of Organizational Change. 11. Understand the Concept of Organizational Transformation: Birth, Growth, Decline, and Death. 12. Understand and Learn about Organization Decision-Making, Learning, Knowledge Management, and Information Technology. 13. Understand and Learn about Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity. 14. Understand and Learn about Managing Conflict, Power, and Politics.

EXPECTATIONS

 Review the syllabus and course schedule for each week’s assignment(s).  Read all assigned materials for each class session.

OVERVIEW OF COURSE ACTIVITIES AND GRADING

Assignment Percentage

Discussion Forums (9 @ 2% each) 18 Quizzes (9 @ 3% each) 27 News Write-Up (3 @ 5% each) 15 Final Project (Individual) 20 Final Examination 20

TOTAL 100

Please consult with me for guidance in determining your decimal grade.

EXPLANATION OF ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION FORUMS

Participation is an essential aspect of business today. Highly interactive on-line discussions provide students with the following:

1. more personal, in depth understanding of the concepts, 2. experience applying concepts to real world problems; 3. a more pleasant course experience for both students and instructor.

There will be 9 discussion questions related to the readings assigned for the respective weeks. To participate, you must contribute to the on-line discussion forums by reading the material before participating. Each student will post one initial comment on each of the nine discussion questions by maximum Thursday of that week. The definition of participation for this part is: thoughtful answers, responses, or comments of at least 300 words for each of the discussion questions or statements.

In addition, each student must also post four different responses of at least 150 words to four different comments of other students on each of the nine discussion questions.”The definition of participation for your responses to other students’ posts is: asking intelligent questions, answering questions of other participants, and/or leading discussions about current events and issues you may have read about or experienced related to the subject at hand. One or two sentences of agreements or disagreements will not count.

Each discussion forum is open for only one week and all postings must be made between Mondays to Sundays. Because students are required to comment on their classmates’ responses, all initial posts to the question posed for the respective week must be submitted by Thursday of that week.

QUIZZES There will be 9 quizzes related to the readings assigned for the respective weeks. Students will have access to the quizzes on a weekly basis, and they are to be completed on a timely basis as you complete your readings for the week. The quizzes must be completed within the due dates and in Blackboard only. Do not e-mail or fax me your answers. The quizzes are multiple and true/false choices.

It is important that you complete the quizzes, save them, and print them for future study. I will randomly select from these multiple and true/false choices for inclusion in your final exams. There are, therefore, no surprises!

NEWS WRITE-UPS

Each student will post 3 News Write Ups on the Discussion Board of the Blackboard. News Write Up is a short (about 500 words double spaced) description of a current event (no more than 1 month old) related to the topics of the course. It should contain the following: 1) Very brief description of the event or the news (about 150 words) 2) Its connection to a specific topic of the course (about 150 words) 3) How can others benefit and/or learn from it (about 200 words) 4) Provide the source of the article and/or its Internet link

You must write the News Write-Up directly on Blackboard following the above format. Label and bold each section heading. Do not attach a document for your News Write-Up.

Dates due are as follows: 1st Write Up by April 6th 2nd Write Up by April 27th 3rd Write Up by May 18th

FINAL PROJECT Each student will select a significant real-life example of a contemporary Organization and write a 6-page (Times New Roman font, size 12, typed double-spaced) report. The selected organization does not have to be a well-known Fortune company, nor does it have to be a for profit organization. The organization can be an institution of higher education, a business corporation, a health organization, or a manufacturing company etc.

Your paper must follow the following format:

1. Describe the Organization, its Mission, its Structure and Design, and its Authority and Control. 2. Discuss the Organization Culture and Ethics, and its Environment. 3. Evaluate the Organization’s Overall Effectiveness and Make Recommendations Based on Theory Learned.

Writing Standards

All writing assignments in this course must be word-processed and checked for spelling and grammar. The following are to be taken into consideration by the student when writing the papers in this course:

Content:

Completed all parts of assignment Developed thoughtfully with appropriate support for ideas Synthesized and evaluated appropriate materials Original and appropriate approach – clear thesis

Organization:

Logical plan Appropriate order of ideas Appropriate beginning and conclusion Appropriate cohesion and progression of ideas and transitions Proper headers and sub-headers

Form and Mechanics:

Correct language control No grammatical or sentence errors No spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors Correct idiom and word usage

Due Date: May 25th

Late Submissions

I do not allow late submissions or assign extra credit for assignments missed. Only in the most extreme emergencies will students be allowed to miss an examination or delay the submission of an assignment, and in such a case the instructor must be informed beforehand. Incompletes

An Incomplete is not given automatically or lightly. Anyone requesting an incomplete will have to do so in writing and will be considered only if:

 At least 50 percent of course activity have been completed;

 The student is at least pulling a minimum B grade;

 No points will be given for missing participation in the Discussion Forums and quizzes.

Academic Honesty

Your attention is called to the section of the University of La Verne Catalog entitled "Academic Honesty" (2013 - 2014 Catalog).

Any student found to be violating this section of the catalog will be given a grade of ZERO for the assignment in question. Repeat offenders (including other courses) will get an "F" for this course. There is a "no tolerance" standard in this course for academic dishonesty.

Each student is responsible for performing academic tasks in such a way that honesty is not in question. Unless an exception is specifically defined by an instructor, students are expected to maintain the following standards of integrity:  All examinations, term papers, oral and written assignments, and recitations are to be the work of the student presenting the material.

 Any use of wording, ideas, or findings of other persons, writers, or researchers requires the explicit citation of the course; use of the exact wording requires a "quotation" format. (University of La Verne Catalog, 2013 - 2014)

COURSE SCHEDULE

The following schedule of activities has been provided as a general guide to the course. I may elect to adjust the outline to meet the unique needs of the class. WEEK DATE TOPIC AND ASSIGNMENT READINGS March 24 – 30 Organization and Organization Theory Chapter 1 1 Due: Quiz 1, Discussion 1 March 31 – April 6 Strategy, Organization Design, and Effectiveness Chapter 2 2 Due: Quiz 2, Discussion 2, News Write-Up 1 April 7 – 13 Fundamentals of Organization Structure Chapter 3 3 Due: Quiz 3, Discussion 3 April 14 – 20 The External Environment Chapter 4 4 Due: Quiz 4, Discussion 4 April 21 – 27 Designing Organizations for the International Chapter 6 5 Environment Due: Quiz 5, Discussion 5, News Write-Up 2 April 28 – May 4 Organization Size, Life Cycle, and Decline Chapter 9 6 Due: Quiz 6, Discussion 6 May 5 – 11 Organizational Culture and Ethical Values Chapter 10 7 Due: Quiz 7, Discussion 7 May 12 – 18 Innovation and Change Chapter 11 8 Due: Quiz 8, Discussion 8, News Write-Up 3 May 19 – 25 Conflict, Power, and Politics Chapter 13 9 Due: Quiz 9, Discussion 9, Individual Project May 26 – June 1 Review of all of the chapters 10 Due: Final Examination (Chapters 1 - 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13)